The Psychiatric Consultant may suggest treatment modifications during the Systematic Caseload Review with the Behavioral Health Care Manager. Depending on the amount of time available and the Psychiatric Consultants’ job description, they may also provide in-person consultations or specialty mental health services for clinically challenging patients. The Psychiatric Consultant does not normally see the patient or prescribe medications; however, they may be available during business hours for ad-hoc consultation as needed.
Job Description
Some skills that may be new to Psychiatric Consultants include:
- Triage/Treat patients without seeing them
- Create a treatment plan in a short amount of time and with limited information
- Think about the treatment needs of a population of patients
FTE Guidelines
Organizations will need around 0.075 FTE (3 hours per week) of Psychiatric Consultant time to assist each nearly full-time or full-time BHCM to manage a full caseload. Please refer to the AIMS Center’s Guidelines for Behavioral Health Care Manager Caseload Size for more information to plan staff resources.
Training
- View the Collaborative Care Implementation Guide for clinical skills specific to psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health care professionals who practice as part of a Collaborative Care team.
- Apply the Integrated Care Approach – Free, CME-eligible course developed by the AIMS Center and the American Psychiatric Association.
- Integrated Care Psychiatric Consultant Learning Collaborative – Monthly, CME-eligible learning sessions for psychiatric providers delivering integrated care.
More
- Concerned about liability issues? View a Resource Document on Risk Management and Liability Issues in Integrated Care Models and an Example Disclaimer for Psychiatric Consultants.